Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)

Stafford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Leigh Ingham from the Labour Party.

The seat since its resurrection in 1983 has proven to be somewhat of a bellwether being held always by the incumbent government although it currently has a significantly higher vote share for the Conservatives than the average constituency

Boundaries
1928-1885: The parliamentary borough.

1885-1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Stafford as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Stafford, the Rural District of Gnosall, the Rural District consisting of the civil parishes of Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizard, the Rural District of Stafford except the detached part of the civil parish of Colwich, and part of the Rural District of Cannock.

1983–1997: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Church Eaton, Common, Coton, Doxey, Eccleshall, Forebridge, Gnosall, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Swynnerton, Tillington, Weeping Cross, and Woodseaves, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads, Madeley, and Whitmore.

1997–2010: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Forebridge, Haywood, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Acton Trussell, Bishopswood and Lapley, Penkridge North East, Penkridge South East, and Penkridge West.

2010–2024: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Haywood and Hixon, Highfields and Western Downs, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Penkridge North East and Acton Trussell, Penkridge South East, Penkridge West, and Wheaton Aston, Bishopswood and Lapley.

The constituency forms the southerly part of the borough of Stafford, including the eponymous town itself plus the Penkridge area.

2024: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):


 * The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of: Loggerheads; Maer & Whitmore.
 * The Borough of Stafford wards of: Baswich; Common; Coton; Doxey & Castletown; Eccleshall; Forebridge; Gnosall & Woodseaves; Highfields & Western Downs; Holmcroft; Littleworth; Manor; Penkside; Rowley; Seighford & Church Eaton; Weeping Cross & Wildwood.

''The constituency will undergo significant changes due to the re-organisation of seats within Staffordshire. The parts in the South Staffordshire District, including Penkridge, together with areas to the east of Stafford, will be included in the newly created constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge. To compensate, the boundaries will be extended to the north and west, to include Eccleshall, Gnosall and the two Newcastle-under-Lyme wards, currently part of the constituency of Stone (to be abolished).''

Constituency profile
The town has historical significance, featuring the Elizabethan Ancient High House, a museum with changing exhibitions and Stafford Castle. In terms of industry and commerce, the physics and engineering niche of large power station transformers are produced in the seat whereas the area to the north is famous for fine china, the Staffordshire Potteries from the companies Aynsley, Burleigh, Doulton, Dudson, Heron Cross, Minton, Moorcroft, Twyford, and Wedgwood. The area is also well known for the Staffordshire Hoard, Alton Towers and has a Building Society based in the town.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.

History
Stafford, as a parliamentary borough, first existed between the Model Parliament in 1295 and 1950.

The current constituency was created for the 1983 general election.

The town was represented in Parliament by leading playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the end of the 18th century.
 * Prominent members

Taken together with the Stafford and Stone seat which existed during the 33-year gap mentioned above, since 1910 when the last Liberal served the seat, the Conservative party has had five members and the Labour party two (this total includes the present member). In summary:
 * Political history


 * Labour saw a bellwether result in their 1945 landslide victory, but Conservative Hugh Fraser regained the seat at the next election in 1950 in the successor seat which he held until his death in 1984.
 * Effects from the creation of the Stone constituency in 1997 made Stafford somewhat more marginal: sitting Stafford MP Bill Cash followed some of his electors into the Stone constituency, which he won, and after a 47-year lack of a member, Labour's David Kidney gained the constituency in his party's landslide victory in 1997. The defeated Conservative candidate in 1997 was David Cameron, who in the next election was elected as the MP for the safe seat of Witney, and became the Conservative Party leader in 2005, and Prime Minister in 2010.

MPs 1295–1640

 * Constituency created (1295)

Elections in the 1990s
 

Elections in the 1980s

 * Death of Sir Hugh Fraser 6 March 1984

Elections in the 1880s

 * Caused by Macdonald's death.

Elections in the 1860s

 * The 1868 election was declared void on petition "on account of corrupt practices", causing a by-election.


 * Caused by Wise's resignation.

Elections in the 1840s

 * Caused by Carnegie's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

Elections in the 1830s

 * Caused by Goodricke's resignation, in 1835, to contest a by-election at . A writ for a by-election was denied for nearly two years.


 * Farrand retired before the poll. The election was later declared void and no writ was issued before the 1835 general election.